Japanese Food and Travel Blog

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About

Hello there, and thanks for stopping by! Originally from Brooklyn and Chicagoan for a spell, I moved to Japan in December 2009 to pursue a life beyond anything I had previously known. In short, I wanted a challenge, and Japan gave it to me.

Shichimi began as a way to document my experiences with Japanese cuisine — something I knew pitifully little about before moving there. For two years, I divided my time between an unremarkable Tōkyō suburb and Matsumoto, a small city at the foothills of the Japanese alps. Having access to Tōkyō’s mind-blowing array of restaurants, bakeries, and food purveyors was wonderful, but as time went on I increasingly found myself drawn to the more rustic, traditional fare available in Japan’s rural areas. Although I’ve since returned to the States, my fascination with Japanese culture and cuisine endures.

Although the focus here is on Japanese food (or more often my personal, home-cooked iterations of an incredibly complex culinary tradition), I have a strong penchant for Italian cuisine. This is neither by virtue of heritage nor any particular expertise; I just love how a minimally-dressed bowl of pasta can be both rustic and elegant at the same time.

I also believe that the meals we cook should be as healthy for the environment as they are for our bodies, and I strive to cook with that philosophy in mind. That being said, I have an unabashedly large sweet tooth, particularly when it comes to crispy, crumbly, and pastry-like things, so the occasional cookie, cake, or tart will also appear here. Life’s all about balance, right?

Admittedly, an inordinate amount of my free time is spent thinking about, cooking, and photographing food. However, architecture, design, cities, infrastructure, environmental issues, history, bicycling, walking, and travel are a few of my other passions and diversions. I take a lot of photographs, too, which you can view on Flickr.

Finally, although I don’t post here as often as I’d like, knowing that you’re reading this encourages me to be more communicative. Feel free to leave any comments or suggestions here on the blog, or to contact me via email at eboast[AT]gmail[DOT]com.

Thanks for reading!

– Emma

Legal whatnot:

This is a personal blog. As such, all posted content solely expresses the thoughts and opinions of the author. Although I strive to ensure that all information posted is informed and factually correct, I cannot make any guarantees regarding accuracy. Furthermore, all content on this site (including photos) is protected by copyright. If you’d like to use any of this material, please contact me first. Of course, excerpts and links may be used, provided that full credit is given, with appropriate and specific direction to this site.